Fear

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Azu was scared. Scared of being alone. Scared of waiting for Dionysus to come and fight. Scared of having no one to confide in.

The night sky was filled with stars. Azu lay on her back under them.

[Guest]

Kal looked up from where he was meditating. In the vast expanse of the field, it usually wasn't hard to find a quite place to have for himself. It was a nightly ritual of his - meditation. It let him channel the energy of the skies through him, strengthening his magic and control. And it allowed him to, like his sister, use the winds to learn of what was going on in the world.

Though listening to the winds was innate to his sister, it required a conscious effort on Kal's part to do it. But when he did choose, Kal had a much greater range than his sister. He listened - lowering his breathing so that all he could hear were the sounds on the wind - sounds from the world outside of haven. Most of them weren't pleasant. Death and destruction abounded on the world outside, and the sounds grated against his conscience. He was itching to go out and do something about the sounds - even though he had just gotten back.

But apparently he wasn't alone in the field anymore. He knew there were two people off on a walk somewhere on the other end, but this other person was much closer.

He stood quietly - as a nephelae he could be a silent as the wind should he choose - and looked around. He spotted her off in the distance, flopped on the grassy banks staring at the stars. She looked... well - Kal was never good about reading female emotions, but she didn't look happy.

Getting a better look Kal realized that she was another one of Hestia's - the new first year. Technically - she was one of his students. He remembered having that conversation with Menmosyne. She wanted him to get more involved in his students' lives. He had protested, saying that he did - because his only 'student' was his sister Tahi. But Mnem had countered saying that there was a new girl - Azurith, if he recalled correctly.

Kal wavered for a moment. Who was he to mentor anyone really. He was a terrible example at times, and well - guys he knew about - but even after raising Tahi since she was a little girl, the female mind was still a mystery to him. Still - he remembered what it was like. To be alone. To feel like there was nobody in the world that he could talk to. After his mother went mad because of his father's betrayal, that's how he felt. It wasn't until he came to the atheneum that he had had a real friend - and those years in between were... difficult.

Making up his mind, Kal walked towards her, with all the grace of a full blooded nephelae. "Hello." He called. "Mind if I join you?"

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Azuriths eyes had been closed, listening to the soft noises on the field. She felt almost- content- for once in her life. It was soothing. Pleasant almost. The cool breeze felt wonderful.

Azu heard the voice. Her eyes snapped open in surprise. She looked over and saw the newcomer.

"Of course." she smiled.

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((by of course she means that you can join..))

Her hair was currently in a braid, she sat up and quickly undid it and let her hair fall down her shoulders. Her hair was extremely curly, and she liked it that way, and it was white. Depending on the lighting, it could have a gold tinge, or a silver tinge to it. The moonlight also left her electric blue eyes a lot brighter than usual.


She didn't like it when her hair was up wheile she was laying down, it made her uncomfortable.

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Kal sat down next to her in a single fluid motion, the moonlight shining in his silver hair and pale eyes. He watched as the girl adjusted her hairstyle so that it was more comfortable. He laughed inwardly. His sister was the same way about her hair. It was impractical – yet she insisted on pulling it up in such strange contortions. Kal didn’t see the point in such manipulations. He wore his hair naturally – and rarely cut it.

But Kal wasn’t here to discuss hairstyles. He turned to Azurith.

“I don’t think we’ve been introduced” he said to her, “my name is Kallistrates, and officially I believe I’m your mentor – though Mnemosyne does most of the real work.” Kal winced, slightly embarrassed. But that wasn’t what he was here to talk about.

“You seemed troubled. And really – Mnemosyne’s better at this sort of thing than I am. I’m not a very good example most of the time… But if you wanted to talk about something – you could talk to me.”

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He had watched her as she took her hair down.

"oh, I'm Azurith, although I've met Tahi already, so she's probably already told you that." ,she replied. "It's about the party the other night, Dionysus and I have a fight planned now.. She paused, Dionysus, was probably up there right now listening, she didn't like it. Azuriths face scrunched up, "And then Amaranth and I got into a fight over Adratos... So Aphrodite being Amaranths sponsor stepped in, and Adratos is forced to stay away from me. And now Calix is in love with Raivynne. It's like a never-ending soap opera! gah!" she crossed her arms for extra emphasis. The only other person she could talk to about this would be Calix, but she wasn't sure about Calix right now. And as if an answer her eyes prickled with the tears that were coming:

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Listening to her tell her story, Kal could see the tears welling up in her eyes.

She's going to cry - he thought, panicked. He was never very good with crying women. Come to think of it, that was probably the reason Tahi was so good at faking tears. "Don't cry little one," he said softly. He pulled out a handkerchief - a gift from a trader as thanks for doing a good deed - from his travel sack, and tucked it into the girl's hand. "It will all work out, though I'm not sure what this soap-opera is that you're talking about." He laughed. "Imagine - an opera house made of soap!" his voice trailed off. It was a feeble attempt at a joke, and he knew it. But he didn't want the poor girl to cry.

Kal sighed. "I wish I knew what to tell you, but I'm just as fallible as the next person - in fact, I'm probably more so. All I can say is what I think.

"I think that you were very brave for trying to stand up to the lord of the vine, but also very foolish. Not even I would openly challenge a god. It's unwise, and shows a lack of experience in this world. If what the winds told me is correct, Apollo, Hermes and Aphrodite had the situation under control, but you pushed to fight him. And now you have to reap what you sowed. You challenged the gods of your own free will, when you had plenty of other options."

"And as for relationships, you're fifteen, little one. You have so much time ahead of you. Take it. Find someone who will love you for who you are. You won't be happy any other way. Let Calix and Adratos have their happiness, and you'll find yours as well. And don't rush it. You cannot possibly have a boy friend without that boy being your friend first. If you go into a relationship with the sole purpose of having a romantic relationship, you're bound for disaster (or causal no strings attached smex, but Kal wasn't having THAT talk with his student just yet). That kind of relationship will fall apart in the very moments that should hold it together strongest."

Kal turned to Azurith. No matter how gently he spoke, he was still admonishing her, and she didn't appear comfortable with it. He didn't like reprimanding - but it was necessary. If the girl kept acting like that, she'd end up dead - the victim of some god. Either that or insane like his mother, betrayed and abandoned by his father. He didn't want either of the two fates for this girl. She kind of reminded him of Tahi when she was that age.

"However," he continued " as your mentor it is my job, and Mnemosyne's job in my absence, to look after you. A duty we both failed in that night with Lord Dionysus. As a new student, it is our job to make sure that you realize the folly of challenging the gods. I cannot take your place should the lord of the vine try and come and fight you. To do so would be suicide. But we can use other methods. Mnemosyne and I will talk to our lady about the situation. And I shall talk to Aridaine - Dionysus' wife. Between the two of us we can probably get him to forget this ever happened. But I will need your word that you will not be so foolish again." Kal's voice was stern now, almost harsh.

He didn't want to frighten Azurith, so he added, "I don't want to see you hurt. You're my student, little one. Like my younger sister, I guess."

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((I'll reply later, me and my sisters are having a dance contest.. Lol.))

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She looked at him, "I didn't technically challenge him, he was forcing a women to do something horrible, I couldn't let her be taken advantage of. It's wrong. Adratos also challenged him, but, Amaranth wouldn't allow Adratos to do that. And I did." taking a deep breath, "I won't don't worry."

Azurith sat back up and drew her knees up to her chest and and lay her head down, watching Kal.

((A random chick told me I'm ugly on FaceBook. It's ridiculous some people!))

Azur

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“You don’t think this is a challenge, little one?” Kal asked, amused. He made a flourish in the air with his hand, really more flamboyantly than was strictly necessary, but it was more fun that way. The winds around him shifted carrying a voice on the wind – loud and clear. It was Azurith’s voice

"Dionysus! Take me instead, there is no one to fight for me!"

"Seriously?" she whined. "I was totally going to fight him or at least let him take me, nobody cares about me" She stood there with her arms crossed and a pout on her face.

"Okay seriously, Mister, you really need to get a life!"

"if you feel like you need some love, don't go after somebody who is loved by someone else."

"Luckily I'm in for a fight."

"Yes, finally some fun."

"it's either love or war, I choose war.”

“That seemed pretty aggressive to me, little one.” He said quietly, watching her face carefully to judge her reaction.

Some of the things she had said – bothered him. Did she really think that no one was here to fight for her? That war was the best choice? As champion for his lady Hestia – no their lady Hestia, he knew just how much their lady abhorred violence against the innocent. He hadn’t known a single one of Hestia’s warriors to be chosen purely because of their combat skills. Most of them, himself, his sister, and Mnemosyne included were better known for their cunning, quick wit, compassion, and ability to use the situation to their advantage. Sure they were warriors – and could defend themselves if they needed to, but they always looked for other solutions besides violence first. And should any one of her warriors be assaulted, Hestia would have intervened. Had Azurith not even considered calling upon her lady? Why had the lady even chosen her? She must have seen some potential in the girl – potential other than the warlike creature she seemed to be threatening to become.

((Just some random person? Is your profile public or something? That's strange...))

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((No,we went to the same school.people are crazy!))

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((Well didn't know her personally, but we had mutual friends.))

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Azurith looked at him and scowled, lightly shoving his arm in a playful way.

"You just had to do that, didn't you?" she said, playful yet again.

Azurith rubbed her temples. "That was pretty stupid of me, wasn't it?" , looking over at him, silently after that.

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Kal laughed. "If you are referring to the flourish on the end - strictly speaking I could have gotten away with not doing it. But what is magic without a little showmanship?" He winked at her. "It is very hard to keep secrets, or hide the truth from a strong wind mage like myself or my sister. I believe lady Amaranth has tried having her private conversations underwater so that I can't overhear her - and I'm not sure how successful she was. We do our best not to listen unless it is necessary."

"And while what you did was indeed stupid, it was also with the best intentions, as a true warrior of mi'lady. And the fact that you acknowledge your foolishness shows true character. Give yourself time to learn the ways of this world, and you could be a great warrior. " He lightly returned her punch. "Though you'll have to keep your guard up better than that" he joked.

Look at me - Kallistrates thought - I'm actually doing the wise and respected thing. Sort of...

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Azu smiled. "I have nothing to hide, so don't worry about me trying to do so." , she suddenly laughed. "But you should understand me when I say that, being young, it's just kind of your job to make mistakes, because you learn from them. You can't let someone else make the mistakes for you. Take risks and chances. Also, what you said about how im 'fifteen' and all that stuff about how love can wait, but I AM fifteen and I AM going to take interest in boys, I can't stop that. You need to let me take my own risks with love, that's how we learn. I may get hurt in the process, but it's worth it when it comes to the overall picture.", finally taking a deep breath, she lay back down and look at the stars.

"You would think with how much I look at the stars I'd know all the constellations. But I don't, " she laughed. ",No ones really taken the chance to show me." Looking over at Kal again. She really took the time to look at him. He and his sister obviously shared their good look. He had long flowing, white hair. His eyes were an indescribable color. Azu blushed, she had caught herself staring, and looked back up at the sky, still blushing.

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Kal didn’t notice she was staring at him. He was too absorbed in the stars, and his own thoughts.

“Hey, hey – I’m all for making mistakes. Ask Mnemosyne – I was the Athenaeum’s biggest screw up when I was a kid. But there are some mistakes you can’t turn back from. Getting killed by a God for example. But you are certainly free to make your own mistakes in relationships. I’m certainly haven’t figured it all out yet. Just try to make sure you can live with the consequences.”

He thought of his parent’s relationship. His people were always free in their relationships – just like the clouds they lived in. But his mother was so smitten with his father that she insisted on a human marriage – a monogamous relationship. And his father – young and naïve agreed. But his father was like Kal – he needed to wander – and couldn’t stay in one place for a long time, nor with one person. Kal had watched his mother slowly go insane as a result. And when Kal finally couldn’t take it – he left for a little while. And when he returned he found his mother had committed suicide.

Even now, Kal still felt guilty. And he was his father’s son – the same classic beauty, the same wanderlust. He wasn’t going to subject any woman to what his mother went through. He couldn’t bring her back, but he could do her that much.

“But I have had enough of being serious tonight, and the stars are beautiful. Polaris – the north star – that one over there – is a traveler’s best friend – especially at sea. Then, all you have is the stars to guide you.” He leaned back. “But besides Polaris – I don’t actually know any of the constellations. It’s more fun to make them up. My sister and I would compete to make the best ones with our magic when we traveled together.” His fingers touched the opal pendant he was wearing, and the sky lit up – lines connecting the tiny stars – until a giant city was drawn out in the sky. “I call it – Atlantis!” he said with a flourish.

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Azurith laughed yet again. "I just like looking at them you know. Thinking that it's not just us, everything doesn't revolve around us." ,she giggled. "Quite confusing sometimes."

Closing her eyes, imagining what it was like out there. Setting her hands slightly away from her sides, she pulled the grass out and twirled it around her fingers.

"I wish that party had never happened." Azu sighed. She couldn't take the past back. She could help repair the damage. Opening her eyes she nothiced that there was a stray eyelash on her cheek. Azu picked it off, "Did you know that if you blow on one of these and make a wish, your wish will come true?"

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"When you've been around the world as many times as I have - you become quite well versed in customs of the various places on this earth. Though I wasn't aware Nereids were partial to that custom as well. Wish away, little one. But weren't you just the one saying that you needed to learn from your mistakes? Wishing them away teaches you a bad lesson." He raised his eyebrows at her.

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"It's just a way of reassuring myself, I guess. It's the only way I know how to reassure myself, and I feel like it's hard to trust anyone other than myself nowadays." ,Azurith sighed, closing her eyes once more. It was getting tiring being constantly reminded about things she's said.

If there's anything she knew, is that whenever she sang or hummed, she always felt slightly better. So, she began humming.

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"Trusting in other people... It's another one of those things you have to grow into... And growth is uncomfortable."

He paused, and heard a soft melody filling the silence. She was humming? While they were talking? Well - she must be done talking with him then, he decided.

That was good. He didn't like to sit still for this long anyway. The winds were calling him off to foreign lands, it was time to go. He stood up. "Well, miss Azurith, it was nice meeting you, but I'm afraid the winds are calling me to other places tonight." He took her hand, and kissed it gently. "Farewell - and try to only make little mistakes without Mnemosyne or myself around."

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Azurith opened her eyes slightly and looked over and closed her eyes again. "I wasn't humming because I was done talking to you, it was just a way of filling the silence."

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But he had already gone - disappeared into the dark of the night.

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